QUICK START
VerifiedLearn Pachisi in 60 seconds
Race all 4 of your pieces around the cross-shaped board and back home to the center (Charkoni).
Throw 6 cowrie shells. Count how many land mouth-up to determine your move. Grace rolls (0, 1, or 6 mouths up) let you enter pieces and grant extra turns.
First player (or team in 4-player mode) to get all pieces home wins the game.
FULL RULES
ReconstructionSetup
Each player starts with 4 pieces in the Charkoni (the large central square where all four arms meet). In a 4-player game, players sit at opposite corners - teammates are across from each other diagonally.
Turn Order
Play proceeds counter-clockwise. Each player throws the cowrie shells and moves one piece the indicated number of squares along their arm, then around the board.
Cowrie Shell Dice
Throw 6 cowrie shells and count mouths facing up: 2-5 mouths = that number. Special values: 0 mouths = 25 (Grace), 1 mouth = 10 (Grace), 6 mouths = 12 (Grace). Grace rolls allow piece entry and grant an extra turn.
Movement
Pieces travel down the middle column of their home arm, around the outer edge of the cross-shaped board (96 squares total), then up the middle column to return to Charkoni. You must land exactly to finish.
Castle Squares (Safe Zones)
12 squares marked with an X are Castles - safe zones where pieces cannot be captured. Strategic use of Castles is essential for protecting pieces on long journeys.
Captures
Landing on an opponent's piece captures it, sending it back to the Charkoni. Captured pieces must re-enter with a Grace roll. You cannot capture pieces on Castle squares or in blockades.
Team Play (4-Player)
In 4-player games, opposite corners form teams (Green+Red vs Yellow+Blue). Partners share the victory condition - both players must finish all pieces for their team to win. Teammates cannot capture each other.
Victory
Move all 4 pieces around the board and back to the Charkoni. In team play, both partners must finish. The first player or team to complete this wins the game.
VARIANTS
Dramatization2-Player Mode
Head-to-head competition
Each player controls one color. The game becomes a pure race with direct competition for captures. Faster-paced than team play, with more aggressive tactics.
4-Player Solo
Free-for-all chaos
Four players, no teams. Everyone for themselves. Alliances form and break as players negotiate, block, and betray. The most social and unpredictable way to play.
Chaupar (Historical Variant)
The aristocratic version
Chaupar uses long dice sticks instead of cowries, with slightly different movement values. This was the version favored in Mughal courts and considered more 'refined' than common Pachisi.